Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Tart with Coconut Crust

In a double boiler (or fit a metal/glass bowl over a saucepan filled with several inches of water) over medium-low heat, combine coconut cream, oil, and extract, stirring occasionally for several minutes until melted.

Add chocolate chips (reserving a small portion, about ¼ cup), and stir until the chocolate chips are just about melted. Then, turn off the heat and add remaining chocolate chips and gently stir through.

Once just melted (do not overwork the chocolate), remove saucepan from heat and place in fridge to cool mixture while preparing crust.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare crust by combining oat flour, coconut, and salt in a bowl. Stir through well and add brown rice syrup, maple syrup, and canola oil. Mix through until well combined.

Lightly oil a pie plate with the ½ – 1 tsp of canola oil, using a small piece of paper towel to wipe the oil over the surface of the plate.

Transfer mixture to pie plate, pressing into bottom and up the sides of the dish. Bake for 12-14 minutes then remove and cool (the crust will still appear undone, and will be soft to the touch until cool). Transfer pie plate to fridge to let cool some.

Pour truffle mixture into crust and tip back and forth gently to distribute evenly over crust. Refrigerate until completely cool (several hours), then cut in slices and serve.

Note: Use only regular coconut milk (not light) in this recipe. Don’t shake the can, and refrigerate it if you like to help separate the layers. Open the can and skim off the thick cream that rises to the surface, (and not including the watery portion). If you can find a small can (such as Earth’s Choice Organic premium coconut milk, 160 ml) this is a great choice since you will be very close to the ½ + 3 tbsp measurement with this size can, and I have found there is little to no watery portion in this size can, instead it is full of the thick cream needed for this recipe.

Note: If you don’t have oat flour, use quick oats and process them in a mini-food processor until crumbly. Alternatively, if you’d like to use a prepared pie crust for this pie, go ahead and do so. Simply prebake the pie shell until lightly golden, let cool some, and then fill with the truffle layer as per directions above.

Note: Break up the coconut oil with a sharp knife into small crumbly slivers to measure.

Note: If you’d like to make this pie without the raspberry layer, try instead serving this pie with a simple fresh berry sauce that gives a bright, slightly tart contrast to the richness of the chocolate filling. To make one, simple puree frozen berries such as strawberries or raspberries with a touch of freshly squeezed orange juice and/or a little water until smooth but still fairly thick. Add a pinch of salt and adjust sweetness to taste with maple syrup or agave nectar. You can also add a squeeze of lemon juice if desired.

Once pie crust is cooled to just warm, spread the layer of raspberry layer over the crust base (not up the sides), distributing as evenly as possible. Pour truffle mixture into crust and tip back and forth gently to distribute evenly over crust. Refrigerate until completely cool (several hours), then cut in slices and serve.